


Five Times Darcy Thought She was Getting a Date with Clint, and the One Time She Does

by Jadesymb



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi, OT3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-02
Updated: 2012-11-02
Packaged: 2017-11-17 14:40:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/552675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jadesymb/pseuds/Jadesymb
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darcy enjoys working for SHIELD, and she loves flirting with Clint.  She's just not sure how all of her attempts to ask him out keep going awry.   Maybe because she's missing a piece of the puzzle?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Five Times Darcy Thought She was Getting a Date with Clint, and the One Time She Does

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to [ArcticMel](http://arcticmel.tumblr.com/) for all her help on this one!

1.  
“You are looking hot!” Darcy affirmed to her reflection. She sighed as she kissed the mirror, leaving behind a fresh smear of fire engine red lipstick. “You are about to knock his socks off.” Even if it was only a work lunch. 

For the last two weeks, she’d been working for SHIELD in the office drone temp pool; filling in, filing, and running errands. It wasn’t the end all, be all of jobs, but she had lots of training to complete to become an actual agent. Darcy simply considered the opportunity to get one very sexy archer to ask her on a date as an unexpected perk of her new career choice. 

She knew from Clint’s appreciative looks and casual flirting that he had to be open to the idea, but the man just wouldn’t make the first move. Some guys were like that. She liked to think her boobs intimidated him. 

This morning, Darcy had decided to take the initiative. When Clint came out of Coulson’s office, Darcy asked him out to lunch and Clint had agreed. It was a work lunch, a starting place. Surely from here she could score a dinner date. Maybe he could make her breakfast in the morning.

When Darcy got downstairs, Clint was waiting in the lobby for her, but he wasn’t alone. All the warning bells in Darcy’s head went off at once. She’d been pretty sure that Clint and Natasha weren’t dating, but maybe she’d better double check her sources, because she absolutely did not want to die a painful and interesting death for trying to steal the Black Widow’s boyfriend. 

“Hiya! Where we going?” Darcy asked, striving to appear unphased as she slid up next to Clint, giving him a friendly hug. 

“Nat and I were thinking we’d hit the Thai place down the street? If that interests you. Or we could go get burgers.” Clint shrugged, stepping out of Darcy’s embrace.

“Thai is awesome. Lead the way!” Darcy smiled as brightly as possible. Great. Now Natasha was coming on their lunch date. So much for getting Clint alone. 

2.  
The not-date at lunch hadn’t been bad, honestly. The Gaeng Karee Gai had been super tasty and a few minutes alone with Natasha had confirmed that Clint wasn’t dating her, although they used to date a few years back. Darcy took this information as a sign that she needed to step up her game, make sure that Clint knew she was serious. Which is why she dressed in a very hot, very low cut red dress before stopping by the tower to “visit” with Jane a few days later. 

“So. Clint lives here too, right?” Darcy and Jane sat on a couch in the empty common area. 

Focused on the tablet in front of her, Jane replied absently, “Yes, all the Avengers do. I think Fury ordered Clint and Natasha to move in though. Clint is only here like half the time. Rumor has it that he has an apartment somewhere else.” 

“More important, is he home now? Cause I want to hit that. Help a friend out? Please?” Darcy pouted at Jane.

“Okay.” Jane sighed. “Oh! I know! He wants to see that new Bourne movie that just came out, but no one else wanted to see it.”

“See what?” Clint’s voice came from the kitchen. Darcy bounced up, spinning to show off her figure. 

“I was just telling Jane about how I wanted to see the new Bourne movie, but I haven’t been able to find anyone to take me out to see it.” Darcy strutted over to the kitchen area.

“Hey! Me too! We should watch it together.” Clint smiled at her approach. Darcy slid between him and the counter, specifically reaching for a cup on the shelf in front of Clint. She just managed to repress a shiver as her backside brushed up against the front of his jeans.

“Sounds wonderful. When?” She smiled over her shoulder at him as she brought the cup down. 

“Are you free now?” Clint returned the smile, stepping back slowly, giving her room. 

“For you? Always big boy.” She spent a willpower point to not jump up and down for joy. Clint had totally asked her out on a date. She was going to get sit in a dark room with Clint and his amazing arms.

“Awesome. I’ll make popcorn. JARVIS, cue up the movie for us!” Clint turned away from her to grab at the popcorn maker. Darcy felt her jaw drop as her face reflected her disappointment.

“But, the movie’s not out yet! It’s only in theatres!” She managed to stutter.

“Bonus of living with JARVIS. Movies at home. No worries about anyone spotting us or attacking us or small children kicking the back of our seats and crying in boredom.” Clint pointed out.

“So are we watching it in your suite?” Darcy couldn’t help it. If they were alone, in his room, there would be plenty of space to make out without worrying about public nudity.

“Screen and sound are both better out here. This is going to be awesome! Thanks for being willing to watch it with me. Movies are more fun in groups.” Clint’s smile was amazing. Unable to resist his charm, Darcy gave in.

“Sounds like a plan.” She replied, resolute.

During the film, Clint had cuddled up with her on the couch. Darcy enjoyed his strong arm around her shoulders, the way Clint occasionally traced his fingers up her arm, the ghosting of his lips against her ear when he whispered a comment about the movie to her. It would have been perfect, if not for audience of superpowered, popcorn-scarfing company wandering in and out of the room. Darcy strongly suspected that JARVIS sent out messaging to all the Avengers anytime a movie was being played anywhere in the tower. She planned to have words with the AI later.

3\.   
Darcy noticed when Clint strode into the gym. It’s actually the main reason she ended up flat on her back. Distracted by Clint’s gorgeous body accentuated in workout attire, her sparring teacher had taken advantage of her lack of focus. For the rest of her lesson, Darcy did her best to ignore Clint as he moved around the epically huge SHIELD gym. Instead, she tried to focus on her mandatory training. Tried and failed, if she was being honest with herself. 

“Is it Hawkeye that suddenly has you so distracted? You’re usually better at this Darcy.” Her trainer spoke low in her ear after Darcy found herself pinned for the fourth time in less than ten minutes. Darcy didn’t bother with a response, just attempted to escape the hold.

“Try twisting with your hips.” A familiar voice said from the other side of the ring. Darcy turned her head to see a very sweaty Clint looking at her. She smiled sweetly and attempted to twist her hips up, surprised when her trainer went with the motion. Darcy managed to free herself and stand up. 

“Thanks.” She said as her trainer held up her hands and backed off. 

“No problem, you’ve got some nice moves girl!” Clint winked at her.

“You think I’m good at this, you should see me on the dance floor. I’m much better up close and personal.” Darcy couldn’t help but flirt back. She ignored her trainer’s huff of disdain.

“I’d love to see your moves up close.” Clint smirked. Darcy smiled back, feeling very confident that she’d finally scored a date with Hawkeye. Until Clint moved into the ring, anyway.

“Here, let me show you where you went wrong on that last bout.” Apparently, instead of a date, she was going to get fighting lessons. Well, she thought to herself, at least this way she did get to be up close and personal with Clint’s sexy bod. 

 

4\.   
Clint slid up next to Darcy and one sexy arm snaked around her, pulling her in close. She shivered in delight as her shoulder leaned up against him. With the sudden addition of his body heat and earthy masculine scent, she found it hard to focus.

“Darcy, honey, do you have time to get coffee?” Clint blinked has long eyelashes at her, and her heart stuttered in her chest. Clint Barton was asking her out for coffee! Finally he saw the glory that was her. 

“I can always make time for you.” She moved to lean in a little closer, almost falling as Clint scooted away from her.

“Darcy, you are a lifesaver. Here’s the order and the credit card to put it on. We’re in briefing room 23B. I’m not sure if you're cleared for it, so just knock and I’ll grab the coffee from you. Thanks again!” And Clint turned with a wave and headed back to the stairwell, leaving a shocked Darcy holding a list with 12 coffee orders on it.

“That did not go according to plan.” 

5.  
“Hey Clint.” Darcy wandered over to the couch where Clint was watching Dirty Jobs. She was not going to flirt. She was not going to hit on him. That ship had sailed. 

“Hey Darce!” Darcy couldn’t seem to help herself, at his jaunty reply, she sauntered closer. Clint reached out and grabbed her about the waist, pulling her down onto the couch next to him. She landed half on him, and cuddled up close. Maybe she’d ask him out one last time after all.

“So, Clint. What’s new? Haven’t seen you around for a few days.” She idly ran her fingers over his knee.

“Covert mission stuff, went in alone. Just got back. Coulson should be back from SHIELD soon, so he said I could debrief here rather than go into the office. Killing some time till he gets here.” The show went to commercials, and Darcy perked up.

“Glad you’re back. Missed you around. Oh I love this song!” She began tapping the beat on Clint’s leg.

“You do? Hey, I’ve got two tickets to see them in concert tomorrow, are you free?” Clint asked. 

“That would be amazing!” Darcy almost crowed with glee. A chance to go see one of her favorite bands and score a date with Clint! This was too good to be true. Her luck was finally changing. 

“Awesome. I’ll bring them into the office tomorrow for you. Who are you going to bring?” Clint replied evenly.

“Um, you? Aren’t you going?” Darcy already knew the answer even as the question slipped from her lips.

“Can’t after all, had something else come up. But it makes me happy to know you’ll get some enjoyment out of them.” Suddenly Clint let go of her and moved smoothly to stand. Darcy turned her head and saw that Coulson had come into the room without her hearing.

“Hey Agent.” Darcy waved. Coulson quirked an eyebrow at her.

“I’ve got to debrief. I’ll see you later to get you those tickets!” And Clint was off, Coulson leading him out of the room.

Darcy sat stunned on the couch for a half hour. She watched Mike Rowe get dirty, and mulled everything over in her head. Clint was always affectionate and flirty with her. He was sweet and smart. How could he be so smart and so great with his eyes and miss how head over heels she was for him? This was ridiculous. She needed to have this out once and for all. It was time to lay all of her feelings on the line and just make it perfectly clear that she wanted an actual, real, date with the man. Nothing like being bold to set the right tone. 

When the show ended, Darcy asked JARVIS for Clint’s location. Upon hearing he was in his rooms, Darcy checked her look in the mirror, and went to find him. She did knock, but with no answer, she took a deep breath and opened the door.

“Clint? You in here? I wanted to talk to you.” She called, but there was no response. She wandered back to the master bedroom. The door was ajar and she could hear the shower running. A very wicked idea occurred to her, and she decided that she was just daring enough to pull it off, especially since she was wearing her sexy red bra and panities. She reached for her shirt, pulling it over her head, then she wiggled out of her jeans and climbed up onto the bed. She shifted positions until she found a particularly flattering pose to wait in. 

A few tense minutes later, the door to the bathroom opened. Darcy slowly raised her eyes up to meet Clint’s, only to find herself letting out a surprised yelp.

“Agent? What the hell?” Darcy grabbed wildly for a pillow to hide behind. Coulson stepped back, his eyebrows raised, seemingly unphased by his own nudity or finding a half naked Darcy on the bed. Clint, in the process of wrapping a towel around his waist, moved in front of Coulson.

“Darcy? What are you doing in my room?” Clint asked, leaning casually on the door frame.

“I, uh, think I miscalculated. I’ll just go.” Darcy scrambled towards her clothes, holding the pillow in front of her. If she’d only been wearing ratty underwear today, she would not be in this situation at all. 

“Clint, I told you she was interested in you.” Wrapped now in a large white robe, Coulson stepped up to Clint, placing his hand on Clint’s bare shoulder. He moved past Clint and met Darcy’s eyes. “Miss Lewis, I think we need to have a small talk, but I’d prefer time to get dressed. Can we trust you to be the soul of discretion in the meantime?”

“Um, you want me to keep the fact that you and Clint are gay and together a secret until you get a chance to explain?” Darcy managed to mumble as she attempted to keep her pillow in front of her with one hand and pull her pants on with the other.

“Bi. Not gay. Why does everyone assume I’m gay when they find out I’m with you?” Clint asked.

“Oh good. I thought my gaydar was completely broken.” Darcy smiled over the pillow. 

“Let’s hold our questions until we can meet and talk. Dinner? The little Italian place on the corner in an hour? That will give us time to get ready.” Coulson interjected. Then he did something that made Darcy’s mouth go dry. Coulson leaned into Clint, their bodies flush against one another, and initiated a dirty, open mouthed kiss against Clint’s lips. Clint let out a small noise before kissing Coulson back voraciously. Clint’s amazing arms wrapped around Coulson’s back, pulling him in even tighter.

“Sure. Dinner sounds great.” She managed to croak out, then she grabbed her shirt and fled the room.

 

+1

Darcy was trying to wrap her head around everything. She’d never really thought about Coulson as sexy, but in the hour since witnessing that kiss, it was pretty much the only thing she could think about. The two of them together had been the hottest thing that Darcy had ever seen. And that was just a single kiss. Thinking about what they must have been doing in the shower just moments before had her so wet she was soaking her panties. 

Was this a date or was this just explaining how and why she should keep her mouth shut about their relationship? Darcy was pretty open minded when it came to sex, sexual orientation, open relationships, poly relationships, and all of that. She’d taken some interesting classes on human sexuality in college, along with lots of personal experimentation. The kiss that she had witnessed made her doubt that this meeting was simply about explaining. Her boss never did anything without a purpose, and he could have waited for her to leave the room before kissing his lover like that. Could his actions have been his way of staking his claim, making sure she knew that Clint was taken? Surely that was it, just Coulson’s way of telling her to back off. 

Then why was she so nervous? 

She waited at the restaurant, arriving a few minutes early. She knew Coulson admired punctuality, and she found that Coulson’s opinion of her was suddenly very important. She saw the men walking down the street towards her, a careful space between them. Despite this, they moved together with the subconscious, practiced ease of long-time companions.

“Hi.” Darcy managed as they approached, nibbling nervously at her lip.

“Hi Darcy.” Clint enthusiastically picked her up into a hug, surprising her by placing a quick kiss on her lips. Maybe this one was a date after all?

“Come on in you two.” Coulson smiled at them, opening the door. The hostess smiled and called Phil and Clint by name, leading them back to private booth, one of those half circle tables, with no one else nearby. Clint gestured her into the both, and Coulson slid in on Darcy’s other side, so she was sitting between the men. The hostess took their drink orders and then disappeared. 

“So. How long have you two been...?” Darcy let the question hang in the air, uncertain of how to define their relationship.

“Seven years or so.” Clint responded. 

“Wait.” Darcy snapped her head to Clint, meeting his eyes, “Natasha said you were with her only a few years back.”

“Yes, and she was with us.” Coulson smiled.

“So the two of you dated Natasha together?” Darcy’s head was spinning at the idea of the three of them together.

“Nat knew we were together long before she got involved with us. The relationship was amazing for a long time, until Nat met someone else she wanted to date. She left us to take a chance with him and, when they didn’t work out, we never ended up back together.” Clint looked a little sad at this.

“And you guys keep everything a secret?” Darcy was curious on why they felt the need to stay hidden.

“Old habit at this point. Mostly because the press doesn’t always deal well with alternate sexuality, and because we both have jobs and a reputation to uphold both in the public eye and at SHIELD. And because neither of us like our enemies to see our weaknesses.” Coulson supplied.

“Okay. So why am I here?” Darcy questioned. “I mean, I’ll keep your secret. I won’t tell anyone about you guys. I know it’s hard to trust, but I swear, I’m good at this stuff.”

“That’s complicated, Ms. Lewis.” Coulson said with a sigh.

“Um, I think you can call me Darcy at this point. You’ve seen me in my underwear.” Darcy smiled.

“And you can call me Phil. You were a very fetching picture laid out on the bed like that, if you don’t mind me saying.”

“I’m sorry I missed it. You were already cowering behind a pillow when I stepped in.” Clint added.

“Both of you are very hot.” Darcy returned the compliment, feeling a blush spread lightly across her cheeks.

“That is good to hear. That makes this next bit easier. We’ve been having an issue recently. The press is starting to notice how Clint doesn’t date. He’s managed to hide behind Natasha in the past, use her for public appearances, but now that she’s with James, that will not work anymore.”

“And I’m not interested in hiring someone or leading someone on. I don’t want someone to come along and play my date all the time. Phil’s not comfortable with the idea of me coming out, although I’m fine with it.” Clint grumbled, and Darcy could tell this was an old argument that Clint routinely lost.

“So you want me to go along and play girlfriend? Because I’m young and pretty and know the truth. I’m just convenient?” Darcy had a feeling it was more than that, but after the last few misunderstandings, she wanted this spelled out.

“No. Clint and I would like to pursue a relationship with you, if you’d be open to that. I know it’s not traditional, but we’ve made it work in the past, and we both greatly enjoyed being in a triad relationship. Not to mention that you are smart, pretty, and we are both attracted to you.” Phil supplied. He smiled gently at her, and then slowly, giving her plenty of time to scoot away, placed his hand on her knee. A shiver passed through Darcy at this touch. She was pretty certain this was the first time Phil had ever touched her, outside of perhaps a handshake when she came to work at SHIELD.

“And how would this work, exactly?” Darcy still wanted clarification.

“Officially? You and I would be dating.” Clint scooted closer to her, putting his arm behind her, nuzzling at her neck. “And, whenever possible, it would be the three of us together. We can go as slow or as fast as you want.”

“Where do you live?” Darcy looked over at Phil, not suppressing the shiver that Clint’s lips on her neck elicited. 

“I’ve got an apartment a few blocks away. We split our time between Clint’s room at the tower and my place. We spend about five nights a week actually together, assuming neither of us is off on a mission. Before Clint was ordered to move into the tower, we lived together in one place, just as roommates if anyone asked.” Phil spoke calmly, but he moved in on her other side, so now both men were nuzzling at her. 

Sometimes, life brought amazing gifts, and Darcy had learned not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but she had to be clear on one more thing.

“So does this count as a first date?” She reached out and ran one hand up Clint’s leg, her hand rubbing against the hardness in his jeans. The other hand she placed tentatively on Phil’s knee, less sure of Phil’s reactions to her.

“Most assuredly.” Phil whispered in her ear. Darcy’s legs parted as Phil ran his hand up her jean clad thigh, lightly pushing against her crotch.

“Sounds like the start of something beautiful.” She smiled sweetly as she said it, her heart already racing with all of the wicked thoughts about what the night might bring. She’d finally scored her date with Clint and she’d managed an unexpected bonus to go with it.


End file.
